Swing
by ENTRIKIT
Summary: Rikku and Gippal try to admit how they feel toward each other. Some Tuna and Baine thrown in at the end. Oneshot.


**Disclaimer - You know the drill, don't own the games, yada yada.**

**A/N - Might be a oneshot, might not. Review it and convince me one way or the other.**

She giggled as he swung her around in circles - once, twice, three times, four and she was dizzy. But he wouldn't stop, because she knew he liked when she giggled. So she giggled louder and told him she'd puke on him if he didn't get her off the stupid tire.

He just smiled and started singing loudly that he couldn't hear her, which made her giggle even more. He always thought it was almost musical, the best thing in the entire world. And it was, in his mind, at least. "I'm not letting you off yet. Not until you kiss me!"

Silence.

She stopped giggling as soon as he said that. _Kiss me. Kiss me. _It echoed in her head and made her feel like she would explode; but she couldn't put her finger on exactly what she was feeling. He stopped pushing the tire swing and it slowed to a stop beneath her. _...What?_

She realized she'd said that out loud when he said softly, "I want you to kiss me."

"But... Why?" It came out much harsher than she intended and she could see the hurt in his eyes.

"Because I want to kiss you." He took a step closer to where she was frozen on the swing. His finger absently moved a braid away from her face, and he tucked it behind her ear. "I... I want to kiss you, and I want you to kiss me." Pause. "I want you to _want_ to kiss me."

A longer pause. "Wow. Um, that was sudden." She had no idea what to say to that. They'd been quite the couple before she went to be Yuna's guardian, sure. But she was shocked and buying for time.

She remembered the day she'd left in a blur of colors. There was Pops, smiling sadly and afraid for both his daughter and niece; and she saw a flash of Brother's face, hurt because she'd promised not to leave and was going anyway. Then there was a glimpse of blonde hair, and they were on the floor - what was he doing to her? Oh, yes, she'd tackled him and he was tickling her. He wanted to remember her giggle before she left.

Then she could remember the leaving. He understood she couldn't see him now, that she had to stop Yunie from defeating Sin, no matter what the cost was. His face was guarded, but she knew he would miss her, and she knew he'd always miss her. She'd always miss him, too. He said not to go and not to leave him; her life was where he was, she shouldn't have to leave. 'Yuna wants to defeat Sin, remember? She feels like she needs to. Let her do what she wants.'

But she shook her head no. 'Yunie can let someone else do it - someone who's not leaving me behind and people who love her. Someone else can defeat Sin, and they'll be remembered as the person who had nothing and left nothing.' But that was cruel, so she stopped talking. If she would've kept going she'd have broken down. So instead she tried to smile and hugged him. 'I have to go now,' she whispered. 'Cunno... E muja oui.' And she kissed him on the cheek and walked away, out of his life, before he could respond; then she really would've broken and cried.

And then Yunie defeated Sin without dying and they met. He was so glad to see her again - she could see it behind the carefully guarded expression. And she pretended to hate him so he'd know she was still not open to a new relationship. He could tell, but he saw her blush when he mentioned their old more-than-friends attitude. That was when he knew she was just hiding what she felt.

He'd stood behind her when she agreed to take apart Vegnagun (even if he told her she never used to think before she acted, which still made her blush). And right before she left with Yunie - when Paine was already on the airship, and her cousin was walking up the platform - she turned around and smiled at him. He smiled, too, but she turned around and didn't look back.

Now... now those were all memories. She didn't know how many girlfriends or one-night stands he'd had between when she left and now, after Yunie had Tidus back and Paine had (finally) gotten together with Baralai. But at the moment she was on an unmoving tire swing, staring at Gippal.

_Kiss me._

They'd only kissed once on the lips, and once on the cheek when she left. He drew lines with her that he never drew with anyone else, and she knew that. That was why she was so surprised. Had he gotten back with Nhadala after she walked away from the Home? Had he taken in that brunette that was always walking around, watching, when they were together?

Or had he taken no one at all?

Before she could choke out another response, he lifted her gently off the swing and sat down, placing her in his lap. She looked up at him with wide eyes. His face was expressionless.

"You don't want to, do you? Not after everything?" He was trying so very hard to keep his expression blank, but he was afraid to move. His last question hung unspoken in the air: _Do you still love me?_

She couldn't speak. It would hurt too much. But her silence was taken the wrong way, and he bit his lip.

"I'm sorry, then. I just... I thought..." He was trembling now. Too much feeling, too much to hold in; he never cried, never had felt this horrible. Even when she left him, he hadn't dared to. But he could feel it coming and she could, too.

"Shh, it's okay. I'm.. sorry, too." He was crossing the line he'd drawn. Even so, she had her own question that hung silently: _Would you - could you - love me back, after all of this?_

"Sorry... yeah, sorry..." He put her on the ground and gingerly moved away from her, as if it hurt to breathe in her prescence. At the moment, it did. He could feel something tightening around his chest, and he felt like he was choking. His eyes widened in surprise at this new feeling. He didn't have asthma. _A panic attack?_

"Are you okay?" She scooted closer to him, making a trail in the grass as she moved. He stared at it in a desperate attempt to forget what was happening - to let go of what he felt.

"Gippal -" she started. He shook his head, closing his eyes so he wouldn't see her. But she was still there, a picture behind his eyelids.

"I'm sorry, Cid's girl. I can't... can't do this. And I'm sorry you feel like that." He scrambled up and backed away, eyes open and staring now. The tightening was getting stronger every time he looked at her or thought her name.

"No, Gippal, you don't understand! I'm just... surprised, that's all. Come on, Gi -"

"It's too late! Don't you get it?!" And he stumbled away from her, running now. Then he was out of sight. _I love you,_ he thought to himself. _But we're just going in circles now. And you're always too scared to take a step up._

She stared at his retreating form as he glanced back at her. "What did I do wrong?" she whispered. But she knew it, even though she couldn't read his mind. He was right to run from her. She'd run from him enough.

_No more running._

She jumped up and chased him, glad she'd had to catch so many chocobos with Yuna for that loser guy's chocobo stable. She couldn't even remember his name and she was thanking him for asking Yunie for help.

He saw her out of the corner of his eye running after him. Even when he put on extra speed, he couldn't get away. And the tightnening felt like it would strangle him, so he stopped. The sudden halt brought the ground up to meet him; his breathing came in ragged gasps.

She saw him fall on his face. "GIPPAL!" she screamed. She reached him sobbing, finally broken. She rolled him over and pulled him up into her lap. "Oh my God, Gippal, I'm so sorry for everything!"

He tried to talk but the loudest he could manage was a murmur. "Cid's girl, it's not your fault."

She pounded on the ground with a fist. "Damn it, you know it is! If I would've just told you or said something!"

"Said what?" he asked. He wasn't breathing now, but it wasn't from the panic attack. He was holding his breath.

"That I love you, and I've always... always..." Her tears rolled down her chin and fell on his neck, sliding from there onto the ground.

His breath came out in a _whoosh_, and he smiled. The hold on his chest was loosening and he could breathe more normally. "You have no idea how much I needed to hear that," he whispered. "I love you, too."

It was her turn to stop breathing. Her eyes widened and he smiled at her. He sat up, though he still felt something holding his chest - most likely an after-effect of the attack. But then it was gone and he moved closer to her.

Her mouth was open slightly, stray tears still gathering at her gaping jawline.

_Perfect,_ he mused. Then his lips were on hers, and he felt more alive.

She blinked, then gave in and closed her eyes. She pushed against him and felt his tongue nervously prodding it's way into her mouth. With a slight smile, she opened up and could feel Gippal's surprise. But he smiled a bit, too, and he was glad.

It was four hours later that they showed up at Yuna's surprise engagement party, holding hands. There were some surprised looks, but Paine looked pleased. (Baralai was shocked at both Rikku and Gippal's being together and his girlfriend's sudden show of emotion.)

Tidus greeted them with a grin. They were the latest to arrive, but they were just in time; somewhere in the house they could hear a door shut, and the high summoner calling out, "Tidus?"

Everyone ducked behind something and the garage door opened. "You in here?" Yuna asked, reaching for the light switch.

As soon as there was light, everyone jumped out and yelled, "SURPRISE!" Tidus ran up to the doorway and grabbed Yuna, kissing her full on the lips. Though she was surprised, she gave in, and Rikku and Gippal exchanged looks.

"Maybe we could be next," he said softly, wiggling his eyebrows.

She giggled and replied, "Maybe we could." And she kissed him.

Paine and Baralai smiled at each other and kissed as well, along with every other couple in the room. Some hoped they'd be next, some wondered if it would last. But for Rikku and Gippal, they knew they'd always have something, even if they couldn't admit it.

They weren't exactly proposing; it was more like a promise. For now, a promise was nice. And Rikku knew that this was one promise she wouldn't ever want to break.

It was later at the party that people casually asked how long the relationship had been hidden. They wouldn't tell, and the questions stopped coming after a while. But when Yuna approached to show off the giant diamond, Gippal went to talk to the groom-to-be and left the girls together.

"Soooo... you really used to be a couple?"

Rikku smiled and nodded. "Yep." Switching topics, she eyed the ring. "How much do you think...?"

"I'm guessing at least a hundred thousand gil. It's huge."

"Wow! I didn't know he had all that saved!" 

"I asked him about it and he said it was for him to know and me to appreciate. But I'm guessing several loans were involved."

They smiled and laughed, and their men came over to join in. Rikku had been without Gippal for three years and shivered when his arm wrapped around her waist. Yuna and Tidus just smiled at the younger couple.

Once the party ended and everyone left, Tidus grabbed his bride-to-be from behind and plopped down on the couch. "So," he whispered in her ear. "What now?"

Yuna noticed the huskiness in his voice and grinned evilly. "Now," she purred, turning around and keeping her face less than an inch from his, "...is when I go call Rikku for all the details!"

She sprang up and ran for the CommSphere with her lover close behind. "Hey, that's no fair!" he shouted, laughing and reaching for the sphere himself.

Meanwhile, the Al Bhed couple was walking slowly toward the Celcius. "So, Cid's girl," he started casually. "What now?"

She smiled at him and calculated the distance between her and the airship. "Now is when I wait for Yunie to call me. Sorry, but you'll have to keep your animal instincts to yourself for tonight!" She took off at a sprint. He grinned and started the chase, though he was no match for her. And that was just fine with him, because he knew where she kept the spare key to her room.


End file.
